英文短篇故事（纽约）422 Sidewalks You Can Eat Off

 　　"I love this city," he said. "It's got so much energy. Just step outside and you can feel it almost everywhere." She said, "Yes, Manhattan is full of people and their energy." He said, "And, contrary to what you see in movies and on TV, it's full of nice people and clean neighborhoods. Even the sidewalks are clean. Storeowners sweep and hose¹ off the sidewalks at least once a day. And on cold, snowy days, they're out there shoveling the sidewalks even as the snow falls. How nice is that? Nobody's paying them extra to keep the public sidewalks clean. They do it out of civic² pride. Why don't we see that in movies and on TV? What great people!" She said, "You are so na?ve. You think they clean the sidewalks out of the goodness of their hearts? They clean the sidewalks because, if they don't, they get fined!"

1 hose   

n.输水软管，长统袜；vt.浇园子，用管冲洗

参考例句：

• Connect the hose to the tap and turn on the tap.把水管接在龙头上，打开水龙头。
• After raining,I always hose the yard out.雨后，我总是用软管把院子冲干净。

2 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。